1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to kites, and in particular to control devices for kites.
2. Description of Prior Art
In kite-surfing and similar traction-kite sports a kite is used and controlled by a user or operator to propel and sometimes lift the user or operator during use. The kite operator can control the power generated by the kite by manipulating control lines to alter the effective angle of attack does not effect curvature of the kite canopy in a manner well understood.
In the most common basic kites the user or operator uses a control bar with two lines, one at each end of the bar. He controls the direction of the kite by pulling on the left of the bar to go left and on the right to go right.
Typically, the kite is provided with a control bar with lines extending to the kite canopy, and it has already been proposed to have a control bar where three control lines are used. Sidelines are attached to respective bars on (side) tips of the kite and a centre line is attached to both forward sides on a leading edge of the kite. If the control bar is pulled toward the body of the operator or moved away from the body of the operator (at times the kite is perpendicular to the water), so that the side lines are shortened or lengthened relative to the centre line, the angle at which the canopy passes through the air (referred to as xe2x80x9cangle of attackxe2x80x9d in aviation terms) is reduced or increased which reduces or increases the lifting force. This in turn increases or decreases the effective power generated by the kite.
It is already known to arrange for the control bar to be attachable by a harness loop that can be placed onto a suitable hook on the user""s or operator""s harness.
In a present arrangement, the control bar is attached to the harness loop by a releasable friction lock applied to the central control line. The control bar has a central aperture to receive the central line and when the control bar aperture is xe2x80x98in linexe2x80x99 with the central line, the line is generally free to slide through the aperture. The lines are attached to the control bar so that with hands off the central control line is normally locked. If the control bar is rotated by say 90xc2x0 about it""s longitudinal axis, the central line is frictionally unlocked and can slide through the aperture. Such a frictional locking arrangement is not wholly reliable in its locking function of the central line and normal usage tends to cause abrasion of the central line. Further, the harness loop is free to adopt random orientations with respect to the control bar and so can be difficult engage on a harness hook during use.
It is an object of the invention to overcome or at least reduce some or all these problems.
According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a control device for a kite comprising:
an elongate rigid control bar extending either side of a central region to provide separated hand-grippable regions for a kite user and anchor points for first and second control lines of a kite,
a third control line for the kite attached to a harness loop at one end and extending from the harness loop towards the kite,
a body attached to the central region of the control bar and having a cavity with an opening through which the third control line passes,
a stopper rigidly fixed to the third control line and releasably receivable in the cavity for restricting relative movement between the control bar and third control line.
Preferably, the stopper is wedge shaped in a predetermined axial plane, and the cavity is wedge shape towards the opening for axially rotating the stopper to the predetermined plane to facilitate easy fitting of the harness loop to a harness hook.
According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a control device for a kite comprising:
an elongate rigid control bar extending either side of a central region to provide separated hand-grippable regions for a kite user and anchor points for first and second control lines of a kite,
a third control line for the kite attached to a harness loop at one end and extending from the harness loop towards the kite,
a body attached to the central region of the control bar and having a cavity with an opening through which the third control line passes,
a stopper rigidly fixed to the third control line and releasably receivable in the cavity,
wherein an inner wall of the cavity is wedge shape adjacent the opening for rotating the stopper axially when it engages against the inner wall and maintaining the harness loop in a specific axial orientation.
Preferably, the cavity is substantially symmetrical remote from the opening for permitting free axial rotation of the stopper.